A day after the Supreme Court's landmark decision to strike down DOMA, Philly State Rep. Brian Sims announces plans to hitch PA to the marriage-equality bandwagon. Wow. A mere 24 hours after yesterday’s landmark SCOTUS decision, state representatives Brian Sims and Steve McCarter announce they’re keeping the ball rolling by introducing a bill in the state House of Representatives that will “provide civil marriage equality in Pennsylvania.”

In a press release, Sims, the lead sponsor of the bill, says, “After Wednesday’s decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, it is past time for Pennsylvania to join the 12 states – soon to be 13 because of California – and the District of Columbia that already provide this basic measure of equality and dignity to their residents. LGBT Pennsylvanians are seeing their neighbors in New York, Maryland and Delaware, among other states, now qualify for the approximately 1,000 federal rights and benefits that come with civil marriage and they are increasingly asking why they don’t have those same rights, as well as the state rights and benefits. Marriage equality has steadily grown, now standing at majority support in recent Pennsylvania polls. I believe that more and more legislators from both parties will decide to be on the right side of history.”

The press release states that the bill, like a similar one introduced by State Senator Daylin Leach, would provide “protections for religious organizations and entities that do not wish to sanction, perform or in any way recognize same-sex civil marriages.”

by Anonymous

reply 22

07/19/2013

An openly gay lawmaker was silenced by colleagues on the Pennsylvania House floor Thursday when he attempted to speak about the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act.

State Rep. Brian Sims (D-Philadelphia) took to the House floor on Thursday to discuss the high court's landmark ruling, which found the federal law barring the government from recognizing same-sex marriages legalized by states to be unconstitutional. However, as WHYY News and Philly.com report, Sims' remarks were blocked by several state lawmakers using a procedural maneuver.

One of those lawmakers, conservative state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), told WHYY that he believed Sims' comments would be a violation of "God's law."

"I did not believe that as a member of that body that I should allow someone to make comments such as he was preparing to make that ultimately were just open rebellion against what the word of God has said, what God has said, and just open rebellion against God's law," Metcalfe said.

Sims said he had no intention of criticizing gay marriage detractors, and had only planned to highlight the importance of the court's ruling.

"I wasn't planning on chastising anybody. I wasn't planning on discussing how far we have to come in Pennsylvania or that we really have no civil rights in Pennsylvania," Sims said.

Two other Democrats attempted to speak in support of Sims, but they too were blocked.

At the end of the session, Sims rose to speak again, criticizing Metcalfe and others who had blocked him.

"A few months ago I reminded this House that we put our hands on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution, not the other way around. What I did was in no way against the law of any God," he said, referencing a speech he made in April. "I can't call anyone a bigot, a homophobe or racist, but language used against me does not live up to the standards of this body."

Sims, who entered office in January, is the first openly gay lawmaker elected to the state legislature.

On Thursday, Sims and fellow Democratic Rep. Steve McCarter vowed to introduce a measure in the state House allowing same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania.

"LGBT Pennsylvanians are seeing their neighbors in New York, Maryland and Delaware, among other states, now qualify for the approximately 1,000 federal rights and benefits that come with civil marriage and they are increasingly asking why they don't have those same rights, as well as the state rights and benefits," Sims said in a statement.

by Anonymous

reply 1

06/28/2013

Sims is my dream man.

by Anonymous

reply 2

06/28/2013

He is so good looking.

by Anonymous

reply 3

06/28/2013

He is a gay superhero. Proud that he's from my state - the state that gave birth to our Constitution!

by Anonymous

reply 4

06/28/2013

Pennsylvania has a great guy in Brian Sims, but Pennsylvania also has closet-case hatemonger Frothy Santorum.

by Anonymous

reply 5

06/28/2013

Effortlessly handsome guy.

by Anonymous

reply 6

06/28/2013

Who's his boyfriend?

by Anonymous

reply 7

06/28/2013

OP, you left out the best (and most outrageous) part of this story.

by Anonymous

reply 8

06/28/2013

God between him and Wendy Davis it's been a good looking few days in politics. He is fucking dreamy as hell.

by Anonymous

reply 9

06/28/2013

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, one of the Republican lawmakers who blocked Sims, explained his reasoning to WHYY: ”I did not believe that as a member of that body that I should allow someone to make comments such as he was preparing to make that ultimately were just open rebellion against what the word of God has said, what God has said, and just open rebellion against God’s law.”

What a SHITCUNT.

by Anonymous

reply 10

06/28/2013

I would do unspeakable (in a good way) things to him. Hot as hell.

by Anonymous

reply 11

06/28/2013

Purse falls out of his mouth when he talks, but he's cool.

by Anonymous

reply 12

06/28/2013

I can't get over what a creep that Repub rep Metcalfe is. Cutting off his microphone because he was speaking against "god's law"

by Anonymous

reply 13

07/03/2013

Bump

by Anonymous

reply 14

07/16/2013

This is representative of why PA will be one of the last states to get marriage equality. Not even allowing Sims to speak was reprehensible. He was stopped because they THOUGHT he'd say something they wouldn't like? Jesus wept, and so do I.

by Anonymous

reply 15

07/16/2013

"The language used against me does not live up to the standards of this body."

The standards set by Brian Sims's body are very high indeed.

by Anonymous

reply 16

07/16/2013

Let's not forget that Pennsylvania voters once sent closet-case Santorum to the US Senate.

by Anonymous

reply 17

07/16/2013

Hatemonger Daryl Metcalfe needs to be voted out of office.

by Anonymous

reply 18

07/17/2013

God Damn this is disgusting

by Anonymous

reply 19

07/17/2013

Instead of the hatemonger Metcalfe, we should concentrate on this:

by Anonymous

reply 20

07/17/2013

R20, his head looks too small for his body in that pic!

by Anonymous

reply 21

07/19/2013

There's a great article and a few nice photos of Sims in the Philadelphia Weekly(PW), a give-away local newspaper. I tried posting a link, but it doesn't appear to be working. Just Google: philadelphiaweekly.com

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